Elevator-roof for hay or grain



(No Model.) WMeth-sheet 1. W. B. SCHMITZ.

'B1evato`r-Roof-for Hay or-Grain. N0. 236,846. Patented 1an. 18, l88|.

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PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. SCHMITZ, OF FARMINGTON, IOWA.

l ELEVATOR-ROOF FOR HAY OR GRAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,846, dated January 18, 1881.

Application filed June 29, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, WILLIAM B. SCHMITZ, a citizen of the United States, resident at Farmington, in the county of Van Buren and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator-Roofs for Grain, &c. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to elevator-roofs for sheltering hay and unthrashed grain from rain and storms; and it consists in the improvements in the construction of the same hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim. y

Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of the invention, the roofing being removed. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is aview in detail, and Fig. 4 is a bottom detail plan of one corner of the roof.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates four upright posts set into the ground and connected near their tops by four girders, B,'tohold them rmly and prevent their spreading when the hay or unthrashed grain is in place. Studs O rise from the tops of the posts A, for a purpose presently explained.

The roof D employed is a hip-roof, and the hip-rafters E are slotted at their outer ends and provided with sheaves F, as shown.

At the junction of the hip-rafters E a vertical windlass, Gr, is supported between stays H, and has its upper end let into a recess formed by notching the under faces of the hip-rafters near their junction. Below the supportingstays E the windlass G is provided with two apertures, I, passing through it at right angles to eachother and one above the other. The lower end of the windlass G, which is rectangular in form and bifurcated, as shown, has clamped to it a pair of pivoted levers, l?, the upper ends of said levers working inthe bifurcation in thelower end of the Windlass Gr.

The rails J at the eaves of the roof are joined together by blocks K, to which they are secured, so as to leave a notch, L, at each corner, which notch receives the inner corner of the adjacent post A.

Ropes M are passed through the apertures I in the vertical wndlass, thence under the sheaves F, up through the slots in the outer ends of the hip-rafters, to the tops of the posts A, where they are secured by loops N to the studs O.

The rails J, at two sides of the roof, are provided each with two buttons, O, one near each end, which bear against the faces ofthe adj acent posts A and serve as locks to prevent the ascent or descent of the roof in the frame formed by said posts, accordingly as said buttons may have been adjusted above or below the rails J. When not employed for either ot' these purposes the buttons hang vertically from the rails J.

One slope of the roof is provided with a trapdoor for the ingress to and egress from the pivoted levers, by which the windlass is operated to raise and lower the roof.

In operating the device, two men enter the trap-door and operate the levers to elevate the roof to the desired height. The levers P are then turned up to an inclined position and their ends caused to rest against the faces of the hip-rafters E, as shown in Fig. 1, after which the weight of the roof will come upon the levers l? and lock it in this position. The hay or unthrashed grain is then stored inthe frame beneath the roof, and as the height of the material being stored increases the roof may be elevated still higher until the frame is packed or stored to its fullest capacity. After the frame has been packed the buttons O are tnrnedto cause their points to bear against the faces of the posts A above the rails J, which willpermit the roof to rest upon the top of the hay or grain and descend with it as the grain settles, and at the same time will lock the roof in the frame against any upward movement, which would be likely to be caused by high winds, during the prevalence of a storm, getting between the hay and the roof.

In storing hay and grain in an open frame of this kind it is not so liable to become moldy or dusty, as four sides are exposed to the air, which insures a perfect ventilation not obtainable in a barn. No sills are required, as

IOO

ill stacking, as the roof renders them unnecessary by turning the rain, which may be conveyed away, as it falls therefrom, by ditches surrounding the shelter. During the operation of storing the hay or grain, should a storm suddenly arise, that portion of the hay or grain already stored may be saved from damage by simply lowering the roof upon it.

The invention is simple, may be cheaply constructed, and will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in conl nection with the accompanying drawings. l

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

slotted hip-rafters carrying the sheaves F, the

vertical Windlass G, ropes M, and levers P, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM B. SCHMITZ.

Witnesses GEORGE MUELLER, J AKoB KOCH. 

